Dot View
Dot View was a local television personality in Dick Tracy's city. She had light eyes, long blonde hair, and a voluptuous figure. Discovering Tonsils Dot View was recruited by Dick Tracy to help find the fugitive Tonsils. She publicly offered Tonsils a spot on her TV talent program, as a way of luring Tonsils and his "agent" Dude into revealing themselves. Tonsils responded and met Dot (and Dick Tracy) at the television studio. He explained that Dude was responsible for all of the criminal activity that he had been invovled with, and he told the police where Dude was hiding. Tonsils was allowed to sing on Dot's show, and he proved to be a success. Tonsils became a regular performer on Dot's show and the pair quickly became romantically involved. Tonsils was targeted by his former criminal co-horts, who kidnapped Tonsils as he and Dot were driving home one night. Dot was left stranded by the roadside, shoeless and with her dress torn. The Search for Tonsils Dot was found by a passing police officer, and she became determined to help find Tonsils. A piece of her torn dress and her ability to identify the kidnapper's hoods provided the police with useful information, but the trail soon grew cold. Unbeknownst to Dot, Tonsils had survived the kidnappers' attempt to kill him, and was secretly living with a street photographer named Gus and his wife. Gus thought he recognized his new houseguest, and he secretly took a picture of Tonsils while the singer was sleeping. Gus took the picture to Dot, who recognized Tonsils and insisted that Gus bring her to him. (center)]]When Dot arrived at Gus' home, Tonsils became infuriated. He blamed Dot for his bad luck, and he believed that she had led police to him (Tonsils mistakenly thought he was wanted for murder at the time). Tonsils accidentally set Gus' home on fire, killing the photographer. Dot and Gus' wife escaped the blaze, but Dot's famous hair was burned off in the process. Dot recovered and was able to use a wig to temporarily replace her signature hair. She was no longer interested in being reunited with Tonsils, and had no further involvement in the Tonsils investigation. The Mumbles Quartet Many years later, Dot View was shown to still be working in local television. She provided Tess Tracy and Johnny Adonis (working in their capacity as the Tracy Agency) with some information about the Mumbles Quartet and their connection to Vincent Vinyl. Appearances in Other Media ''Dick Tracy Meets His Match'' Dot View was a character in the original novel Dick Tracy Meets His Match by Max Allan Collins. Dot's character in the novel is similar to her depiction in the strip, in that she is a beautiful local television personality. In the novel, Dot's backgroud is greatly expanded. It is revealed that she grew up poor, and was only able to escape her destitue surroundings when she matured physically and started to attract the attention of successful men. She used this attraction to her advantage, and gravitated towards those who could advance her professional and financial ambitions. Dot became romantically involved with both Ted Tellum and T.V. Wiggles, in spite of the fact that she didn't actually like either man very much. When Wiggles murdered Tellum, Dot was present and became an accessory. She agreed to help Wiggles kill Buffy Etoved, the only witness who could implicate them. Dot and Wiggles sealed Buffy in a disguised refrigerator in a trash dump, believing that the girl would suffocate or starve before she could be found. Dot later had a pang of conscience and went back to free Buffy, only to discover that she had already been rescued (by Junior Tracy). Wiggles learned of Dot's change of heart, and he killed her to prevent her turning against him. Notes * According to Max Allan Collins' introduction to The Complete Dick Tracy Vol. 14, Dot View's character and appearance were likely inspired by Mary Hartline, a local television personality in Chicago with whom Chester Gould would (presumably) have been familiar with at the time. *When Dot View reappeared in 2012, her appearance was significantly less glamourous than it had been. She was depicted with sandy brown hair that she wore in a simple ponytail. This was most likely due to the fact that she was not recording her TV show at the time, but it was a departure from how she had previously been shown in the strip. Category:Broadcasters